This invention relates to a system for identification and control of animals, such as cattle, and more particularly to a system for identifying a particular animal among a group of animals and controlling placement, processing or treatment of that particular animal in accordance with preestablished criteria.
In general, the present system comprises the use of a stall with a water bowl at one end and an entrance opening at the other end whereby an animal will enter the stall to drink. An entrance gate is automatically operable from a normally open position to a closed position to confine the animal in the stall upon generation of a gate closing signal. An exit gate located at the water bowl end of the stall is automatically operable from a normally closed position to an open position upon receipt of a gate opening signal to provide an exit from the stall to a retaining pen adjacent the stall. In this manner, selected individual animals of a group of animals that normally water in the stall at various times on a random basis may be selectively directed into the retaining pen for any of a variety of reasons.
In order to enable selection of particular animals for retention in the retaining pen, an animal identification system must be utilized. In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention as designed for use with cattle in a feedlot or on a ranch or a farm, the identification system comprises an ear tag which is attached to one ear of each animal in the group of animals. Each ear tag has a visible different identification number thereon so that each particular animal may be visually identified from the other animals. In addition, each ear tag has an electronic signal generating device which is operable to generate a coded identification signal different from any coded identification signal generated by any other device on any other animal. An electronic signal receiving device is mounted in juxtaposition to each water bowl in each stall to receive the coded identification signal whenever an animal is watering in the stall so as to enable identification of each animal in any stall.
A computer means is employed to determine and select which of the animals is to be directed to the retaining pen and which of the animals is to be permitted to return to the group of animals outside the retaining pen. The signal generating means in the stall is suitably connected to the computer means to communicate a unique animal identification signal to the computer means which signal identifies a particular animal in the stall. The computer means is suitably programmed to receive and store specific information relating to each particular animal in association with an unique identification code for each animal. In addition, the computer means may be programmed to receive and store general information about the animals, environmental information and the like. The computer means is suitably programmed to compute and correlate specific information about a particular animal with general information or compilations of specific information about the animal to enable selection decisions to be made automatically about each particular animal. Selection decisions may also be made by a computer operator by manual entry of data to the computer means. The computer means is programmed to send animal selection signals to gate operating means associated with the entrance gate and the exit gate of each stall. Thus, when a selection signal is generated in the computer means and transmitted to the gate operating means when a particular selected animal is in a stall, the entrance gate is closed to hold the selected animal in the stall and the exit gate is opened to direct the selected animal to the retaining pen.
The foregoing animal identification and selection system may be used in conjunction with a multiplicity of animal management procedures. For example, the computer means may be programmed to automatically generate a selection signal at the end of predetermined periods of time to enable the selected animal to receive medical treatment such as periodic innoculations or to receive a special feed ration, or to be bred during a fertility period or to be isolated for calving or to be shipped to a feedlot or to be slaughtered or to be offered for sale or the like. Of course, any of the foregoing decisions can be made separately from the computer and inputed by the computer operator. The time of day of watering of a particular animal and the amount of water drunk by the animal can be recorded in the computer. Irregularity of appearance or the failure of an animal to enter a stall for water for a period of time can be recorded in the computer. The computer can be programmed to generate period (daily, weekly, etc.) information sheets about each animal for the use of management personnel and to generate alarm signals relating to particular animals.
In addition to recording and generating information about presence of an animal in a stall for the purpose of selective separation from the group of animals, another feature of the present invention is the capability of measurement of a selected physical characteristic of a particular animal or treatment of a particular animal while the particular animal is in a stall. For example, the weight of the animal may be measured while the animal is in a stall by platform-type weighing means and a weight signal may be generated and transmitted to the computer means. Thus, the gain or loss of weight of each particular animal may be recorded on a daily basis and animal management decisions made automatically by the computer means or manually through the computer means. Medicinal treatment may be effected when an animal is in a stall by injection of medicine into the water bowl or special feed treatment may be effected by providing a supply of a special feed ration while the animal is in the stall.
This invention is particularly useful for monitoring the condition of cattle in a feedlot environment where cattle are being fed and watered to increase weight prior to slaughter. In operation of typical cattle feedlots, a multitude of animals are confined in one or more relatively large-size pen areas. Some feedlots contain as many as 30,000 to 100,000 or more animals at any one time. In general, each pen area is enclosed by suitable fencing. A supply of feed and a supply of water are provided in each pen area. The present invention may be advantageously utilized by providing the water supply in water bowls in a group of stalls located in each of the feedlot pen areas adjacent a section of the pen area fence so that the retaining pen may be located between the stalls and the pen area section of fence. The computer means includes a central large-size computer located in a building structure at the feedlot and a small-size microprocessor-type computer located on site at each of the group of stalls in each of the feedlot pen areas.
Evidence indicates that cattle have definite patterns of growth and weight gain characteristics. Thus, it is possible to determine when it is no longer profitable to continue to hold and feed a particular animal in a feedlot environment. In addition, some cattle in a feedlot may also become ill and it is desirable to identify such animals for treatment and/or removal from the herd. It is to be understood that the advantages of this invention may be employed with all kinds of domestic and wildlife animals and may be used in other environments such as on farms, ranches and game preserves.
In general, the presently preferred cattle feedlot embodiment of the invention comprises one or more relatively large size pen means for generally confining a large group of the animals and relatively small size pen means within or associated with the large size pen means for selectively confining a smaller group of the animals selected from the larger group of the animals. Individual stall means are provided in the large pen area for receiving only one animal at a time including an entrance gate means and an exit gate means for restricting entry and exit of the animals relative to the stall means. An animal attraction means, such as a feeding and/or watering bowl or trough, is provided in each stall means for supplying feed and/or water to an animal located in the stall means. The terms feeding and watering are intended to be equivalent unless otherwise stated. A conventional electronic platform-type weighing means is located in each stall means in a position and arrangement whereby the weight of the animal is supported by the weighing means when the animal is feeding or watering while located in the stall means. Animal identification signal generating means are attached to each animal for generating a unique coded identification signal for each animal in order to identify the particular one of the animals in the stall means. Animal identification signal receiving means are mounted in juxtaposition to the feeding or watering means in each stall means for receiving the unique coded identification signal transmitted from the animal identification signal generating means and for transmitting a corresponding process identifying signal unique to the particular one of the animals. Electronic computer type correlating/comparator means are provided for correlating the identification signal and the weight signal for each animal with predetermined weight criteria. If the weight of the animal meets predetermined weight criteria, an electronic control signal is generated for selective separation of the animal from the other animals. Exitway means are provided between the relatively small-size retaining pen means for receiving each selected individual animal from the stall means. Selectively automatically operable gate means are provided for selectively controlling movement of each animal from the stall means to either of the relatively large size pen means or the relatively small-size retaining pen means. A first control means is operable for opening the entry gate means and closing the exit gate means of the stall means to enable an animal to enter or exit the entry gate means and for selectively closing the entry gate means after an animal has entered the stall means. When an animal has entered the stall means, it is supported by the weighing means while feeding from the feeding means. A second control means is operable for opening the exit gate means after the entry gate means has been closed when the animal located in the stall means has been identified by the identification means and a retain signal has been generated; and for thereafter closing the exit gate means and opening the entry gate means to permit entry of another animal. In one embodiment, a third control means may be provided to selectively open and close additional selection gate means whereby the identified and weighed animal from the stall means is selectively moved to the relatively large size pen means or the relatively small-size pen means.